When snowfall reaches the two-inch mark, the volunteers — assigned to their "buddies" — take to walkways and driveways to clear snow.

The program was created to help the elderly prevent slips and falls, the program also ensures the seniors avoid fines for not clearing snow from their sidewalks, said Jim White, VOA's director of community affairs

Snow Buddies has been in place for several years and this is now a waiting list and a need for more volunteers, White said.

"It takes a snow event like this for people to get fired up about helping," White said. "The last two winters, we've been all set and ready to go with the program and then we get no snow."

About 100 seniors are currently enrolled, and the waiting list stands at about 100 more.

Jim Neubaum has been volunteering with the program since it started five years ago.

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Neubaum shovels three people's walks within a mile of his house. The 60-year-old retiree said his motivation to pitch in was boosted by the actions of friends and neighbors checking in and helping his widowed father in Illinois.

"I feel like it's good to help out older people in the community and people who need a little assistance," said Newbaum. "For me, it's a way of paying back the world. At least I'm helping sombody whose kids may be far away and not able to help them."

The VOA tries to match pairs who live in close proximity.

"We're not going to make you drive to the other side of town to do this, because the given is that you're going to be driving through 5-10 inches of snow," said White. "That's one of the reasons why we have a waiting list. We have people who need help, but we just don't have any volunteers near their home."

White also said this week's Meals on Wheels deliveries, another VOA program, could be affected by the storm. The program doesn't operate on Sundays, but storm and road conditions could hinder Monday's deliveries.

"All these meals are delivered by volunteers, so that makes it rough on a day like tomorrow to ask someone to, out of the goodness of their heart, go out and do this," White said. "But we do give everyone a 'blizzard box' stocked with four days worth of food that they're supposed to put away and save."

White has two "buddies" of his own for whom he shovels.

"People really do need help," White said. "So whether you sign up and become someone's 'snow buddy' officially, or just knock on the door where you know an elderly person lives, people need help. Especially in a storm like this."

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